The purpose of this study was to clarify the process by which managers of organizations acquire supportive leadership over their subordinates. Semi-structured interviews of 11 managers from companies and government administrative offices were conducted,and as a result of analyzing the verbatim records of the interviews using the Modified Grounded Theory Approach (a qualitative data analysis method),40 concepts were generated,which were organized into five categories and 16 sub-categories. In the first category,“initial experiences,” the interviewees gained experience acting as leaders at home,school,and so forth,and challenged adults,for instance,through acts of rebellion against teachers. In the second category,“initial experiences as adults,” the interviewees worked diligently with the support of their bosses and learned how to do their jobs in their own ways. In the third category,“initial experiences as managers,” while the interviewees pursued their ideals as managers using input from their bosses,they experienced failure. However,thanks to inputs from others around them,they made fresh achievements and acquired the mind-set of managers; by gaining successful experiences,they transitioned to the fourth category,“approaching maturity as managers.” They gained confidence in their work as managers by looking back and reflecting on their careers,and thus arrived at the fifth category,“acquiring supportive leadership.” It was apparent that they went through a process of gaining comprehensive confidence,exceeding the bounds of work,as they began to exert supportive leadership over their subordinates. These results suggest that feedback from others,an attitude of taking on adversity,and looking back and reflecting on the past are significant factors in the acquisition of supportive leadership skills.